Last January, the DOLE issued Department Order No. 118-12 which orders all public utility bus owners or operators to give fixed salaries to their drivers and conductors and provide their benefits mandated by the Labor Code. The order covers all public utility bus owners or operators employing drivers and conductors and will be efective starting July 1.

The effort to regularize bus driver salaries was one of several proposals and initiatives by the government following the tragic death last year of UP Professor when a passenger bus crashed into a taxi she was riding at Commonwealth Avenue near the UP Technohub in Diliman, Quezon City.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino lauded the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) "This will significantly reduce the reckless and risk-taking behavior of drivers due to lack of income security," he said.

"I commend the Department of Labor and Employment, especially Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz for her unstinting support for the bus drivers' rights to a fixed salary, rest days, overtime and night differential and other benefits mandated by the Labor Code," said Tolentino. The MMDA chief reiterated his call for drivers to be properly educated on the long-term benefits of this measure, saying that in the long run they will be getting more and would be assured of pension when they retire, thus benefiting their families.

One week after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) implemented the strict enforcement of the 'Bus Lane Policy' along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), the agency announced that it will continue the implementation despite horrendous traffic jams it caused prompting criticism from motorists and commuters alike.